Bruce slaps £8m price tag on Heskey
Rafael Benitez and Martin O’Neill are both keen on Heskey after he abandoned new contract negotiations with the Lancashire club. The England international is a free agent at the end of the season and is within his rights to talk to other clubs in January.
Bruce is resigned to losing Heskey in the summer but is determined not to lose him mid-way through the Premier League campaign. The Latics manager knows to his cost the dangers of selling key players in January, having been in charge of Birmingham when the club decided to cash in on defender Matthew Upson in 2007 and were subsequently relegated.
